7 smart and sassy crime fiction writers dish on writing and life.
It's The View. With bodies.

Friday, June 28, 2019

What Would Hitchcock Do?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:It’s a conflict that faces every author—and
reader—of crime fiction. What we’re writing about—and reading about—is usually
terrible . So how do we balance the reality that we are focused on crime—without
making it exploitive and sensational?

Then add to that true
crime—where in real life, there’s no fictional literary buffers to call into
play.It’s heartbreaking—and it’s
oftenviolent.Difficult to look at, difficult to think
about, and difficult to report.

So the juggle for the
experienced and skillful Lis Wiehl was to take a riveting and ghoulishly
gruesome real life story—and show why it mattered.. And do so without relying
on the hideous details that gave the Manson murders a place in the annals of
inhumanity.

My daughter and I got lost
the other day on our journey home, and I decided to make a quick u- turn in to a
circular driveway in front of an old hotel in order to get back on to the road
home. The hotel was run down and kind of
creepy looking, and the day foggy and overcast. My daughter said, “It looks
like the Bates motel. By the way mom, did he kill all of the people that stayed
at that hotel?” And I replied, “The only one that any one remembers is the
woman in the shower. And the images of his dead mother in the rocking chair.”

Norman Bates may well have
been a serial killer with dozens of victims stacked up in the basement of that
fictional Bates Hotel. But what is important to us, what resonates and sticks
with us, is the horror of the shower scene, complemented with terrifying
music.We feel the fear and panic of one
woman, as we imagine the likelihood of many more victims whose stories we will
never hear. That is the key to the genius
that was Alfred Hitchcock.

Hitchcock was able to convey fear
and horror in fiction while spilling relatively few drops of blood on screen.True crime is different because it demands
showing true crime scenes. And true crime scenes are, by their very nature,
full of blood and guts and gore.

We live in a world saturated
by images of man’s inhumanity to man. Our evening news splays those images
every night on our television screens, and the internet carries images of
absolute brutality that can make it hard to sleep at night.As a writer of true crime, I do not feel
compelled to add to arbitrary images and then move on to storytelling about the
humanity or lack thereof behind the action.

In writing “Hunting CharlesManson”, for example, I devote only two chapters in a 36-chapter book to the
actual murders in August of 1969. The narrative is linear, but there are no
bloody crime scene photos in the book. I write about facts descriptively, but
not overly colorfully.

I assume that if
you’ve picked up a book about Charles Manson you’ve probably heard something about
the murders, so I’m less interested in the gory details of the murders than in the
preamble to the murders. What lead up to Charles Manson’s amassing his
following, for example? How did he get his ‘Family’ to murder all those people,
while he stood by in the wings without so much as lifting a knife? And what was
this grand scheme of Helter Skelter?

After the Manson murders of
August, 1969, the LAPD completely bungled the investigation. And, for a while,
Charles Manson was a free man.How could
the police have missed the clues that were literally written in the victims’
blood at the crime scene? Why were the different investigative agencies not
communicating with each other and apprehending Manson and his followers
earlier? These were the questions I was interested in asking in my book.

Once the police finally did
get their man, the prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, had a not to be underestimated
task before him: How was he to convict a man of multiple murders who had never
wielded a murder weapon and who not even at the crime scene during the time of
the murders?!

Bugliosi masterfully used
Manson’s own theory of Helter Skelter to prosecute him: his plan to use the
murders for starting a race war in Los Angeles which he could stop at will and
thereby assume leadership of further actions. Bugliosi persuaded a jury that
Manson had effectively convinced Tex Watson and the “girls” to commit the
murders, i.e. “do something witchy”, in the pursuit of Helter Skelter. And it
worked. Manson was convicted of all seven murders. And sentenced to death.
(Which was later commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole.)

In writing “Hunting Charles
Manson” I made a deliberate decision not to focus on the gory details of the
murders.Instead, I studied the man
before the murders, his followers, the police and their investigation, the
prosecutor’s tactics. And I studied these things and events with a goal: to
understand why these events happened, so we may learn from history, lest
history repeat itself.

I believe that if we learn from the mistake that was
Charles Manson and his playbook of wooing young women in to his “family” and
using them to murder innocent people, then maybe we can spot and stop fledgling
Manson’s out there today.

I, for one, would be happy to
have fewer real life stories of blood and guts and gore to write about. It would challenge all of us true crime
writers to aspire to be more like Alfred Hitchcock and tell a spell binding story
without bloody crime scenes.

HANK: Yeah—I have to admit
I’ve found myself reading scenes in some books that are hauntingly gruesome—and
you know? I skip them. And then, often stop reading the book. But that's just me. And so many
writers—and terrific writers—do not shy away from the close up
descriptions.In my own books, I write
about the search for justice more than I write about the elements of crime.

So where do you fall in the
close-up-to-crime spectrum? How do you feel about that?

And LIs will be stopping in
today! What would you like to know about her book? And a copy of the new paper back to one lucky commenter!

*****************-

Lis Wiehl is the author of HUNTING CHARLES MANSON (Nelson
Books; available in paperback on June 25, 2019) and former legal analyst for
Fox News. She has appeared regularly on Your World with Neil Cavuto, Lou Dobbs
Tonight, and the Imus morning shows. The former co-host of WOR radio's “WOR
Tonight with Joe Concha and Lis Wiehl,” she has served as a legal analyst and
reporter for CNN, NBC News, and NPR’s All Things Considered, as a federal
prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s office and was a tenured professor
of law at the University of Washington. She lives near New York City.www.liswiehlbooks.com

56 comments:

Congratulations on your new book, Lis . . . I remember seeing the news and reading the headlines about Charles Manson; it was all so horrific and frightening. I’m not too keen on the close-up-to-crime; I don’t need to read the gory details in the story in order to understand what’s happening. In fact, those writers who make me feel the horror of the event without spilling all those gory details across the page impress me . . . .

Congrats on your book, Lis! I tend to skip the gruesome scenes too. Some images I just don't want in my head. That said, I find a lot of true crime stories fascinating as far as the people involved and their motivations.

Good for you for avoiding the gruesome and the gory, Lis. The psychological and procedural are so much more interesting. Me, I write cozy and traditional mysteries - I don't even show the killing. Somebody just finds a body. My readers and I like it that way.

I was in my last year of high school in the San Gabriel Valley in 1969, and while I remember reading about Manson in the LA Times, I was more focused on high school (you know, boys and grades) than the news. I'm going to read your book to get the real story!

Put me down on the side of no thanks to the guts and gore. I even tend to skip most books with a serial killer. I don't want to imagine how they do what they do--I don't want those images in my head. There is one book, like Hank, that I stopped reading as soon as I realized what was happening. But too late--those images are still burned in my brain--as are several real-life murders--

And I applaud your perspective on the story you are telling, Lis, but I'm going to have to think about this one--whether I want to read anything more than the news accounts concerning Manson and his followers.

Yes, I sometimes think writers use violence to keep their story movies along… sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. But that is why there are books for everyone’s taste, right? And there are incredibly skilled riders who I have chosen to use it, and do it masterfully. And the deep psychology involved in the Manson case has got to be fascinating. How a person could completely take over someone else’s life like that… Who is vulnerable and why. And the knowledge that it is true changes how I feel about it, too. But gratuitous violence is essentially pornography, isn’t it? A type of it at least. Something with no redeeming social value. But we are able to choose our own levels of what goes too far. For us.

Congratulations on your new release!What we imagine is more powerful than what we read on the page or view on the movie screen. I want to know the backstory for psychopaths, not wallow in a bloodbath or torture scene.

What a great topic, Lis. I love Alfred Hitchcock movies (don't we all?). I can't tell you how many times I saw Psycho before I realized you never actually see the woman in the shower get stabbed. Everything is implied and our brains fill in the rest -- and we're all still terrified. I'm convinced it's the reason so many hotel shower have a clear section at eye level.

When it comes to reading about violent crimes, I don't need a lot of detail about the injuries at the scene of the crime, just enough for the protagonist to get the clues he or she needs. Weirdly, autopsy descriptions (like those in Patricia Cornwell's books) don't bother me.

I really like your approach to minimizing gore and am looking forward to reading your book.

What fascinating observations! The shower curtain--that is hilarious. A whole industry is changed because of a movie. :-) And I agree, the autopsy thing is not as repellent--maybe because it's clinical?

I so agree--what could happen to a person that would push them over the edge? Or in this particular case, the people who he convinced to do his bidding? How does brainwashing work, and who is vulnerable?

I will always take suspense over gore and gratuitous carnage. Our imaginations do quite a good job on their own.

I remember reading Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi in college and marvelling at so much of the inepitude during the investigation -- such as the police officer pushing the bloody button that opened the gate to the house.

Thank you for stopping by Jungle Reds and introducing us to your new book!

While I don't read gratuitous violence, I did work in a couple of big county hospitals back in the day, and I've seen more things than you can imagine, dealt with it, had to, and it is hard to shock me. There is, however, one mystery writer, who shall remain nameless, not a Jungle Red Writer, whose one book that I bought completely disgusted me. I returned it for a refund. I do have standards, low though they may be!

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." - Hamlet

Congratulations on the new book Lis. Like many of the other commenters, I have a low tolerance for blood and gore. And even for the cruelty and negative psychology that leads to them. I have had the sad experience of two crime writers that I liked (not any Reds) whose work gradually grew darker and darker until I finally reached a point where I knew I needed to stop reading that author's work. The funny thing is, I can think of another one or two who dealt with similarly dark circumstances, but managed to do it in a way where I didn't feel traumatized. I guess in a way it's a gift to be able to make the horror so real that I feel that badly -- but it's a gift I will choose to stay far from.

I think sometimes the descent into violence is a way of trying to figure out a way to write something new--and there is absolutely a big audience for intensely dark crime stories. Interesting to think about the motivations of those authors,whether the change was intentional, or a progression of some kind.

Congratulations of the book, Lis. How well I remember the summer of "69 and there was so much that is memorable! I really don't like reading details of violence, either in fiction or in real life; as others have commented what we see in our imagination may be worse than but I still don't want to read about it. In a movie I close my eyes and with a book I skip those parts.On the other hand, I am interested in true crime. Even years later we think we know what really happened but do we? Right now I'm thinking about the Jeffrey MacDonald case that happened the next year. My recollection may be off but I'm thinking he claimed it was some sort of monstrous stranger (where did he ever get an idea like that?) that committed the murders.

LIS WIEHL:Hank I don’t want to give anything away...soI’ll say this Hunting Charles Manson introduces exclusive material about the Manson Family and their crimes—material never before uncovered—revealing unique angles to the story we thought we already knew.

I also leverage my years of experience as both a federal prosecutor and an investigative crime reporter to bring you a behind-the-scenes examination of the murders and the trial.

Thanks to Lis for a thought-provoking post- I'd like a poster that says "How did Hitchcock do it?" - and thanks to Reds for hosting. Anyone who writes, or reads, crime fiction has probably considered these issues, but today has added some new perceptions for me. And yes, I am with the many who don't want certain pictures in my mind, possibly forever, but do want to answer "Why?" And, "What happens after?"

The one and only true crime book I read was In Cold Blood. I read it right after it came out and wrote a book report on it for my high school English class. It gave me vague, but frightening, nightmares. The night I wrote the report I was babysitting for a couple who rented a former caretaker’s cottage at the end of a dirt lane on the edge of a wooded area. I kept hearing noises out on the patio. I was sure we would all be killed. Turned out to be a raccoon!

Sometimes violence doesn’t need to be spelled out to completely horrify me and cause nightmares. Implied violence can affect me the same way. If I unexpectedly come across a graphic description in a book, I skip over as many paragraphs as necessary.In a movie, I close my eyes. I stop reading authors who consistently rely on horrific violence in their books. I can’t bring myself to read news accounts of violent crimes. I appreciate radio and TV announcers who state that “the following story may be disturbing”, and I quickly switch to something else. I feel badly for the news people who must report these news accounts. (Interesting aside: my cousin’s son-in-law was a news videographer for a local news channel. He left it to become a police officer. Family members worried about his safety. He said he was in far more danger working in TV news. As a police officer, he has backup.)

Hi Lis! Thanks for chatting with us on JRW today. I like your approach to dealing with the gruesome details. I have to admit that whenever I've read about the Manson murders I have skipped over that part. However, I'm fascinated by the psychology--how did this one man convince these other people, especially the women, to do such terrible things? I find cults, even the non-violent sort, terrifying, but I think we need to understand them. I think the same psychology, although perhaps to a lesser degree, that is motivating today's social media mobs.

LIS WIEHL: My recently updated author’s note focuses on cults. They are dangerous (and fascinating). From my website—It has now been half a century since Charles Manson and his band of followers robbed America of its innocence. Claiming he was inspired by music from the Beatles, Manson set out to form a group of young women and men who, entranced by promises of love and protection from their leader, would follow him in to the desert and return to save L.A. from the ashes of a race war, a race war that he had caused and that he had named ‘Helter Skelter’. How would he instigate such a war? By directing the killing of innocent people, including Sharon Tate and her unborn baby.

Now, fifty years later, the horror that shook L.A. those bloody nights of August 1969 has faded. But the effects are with us today. Leaving a door unlocked is unimaginable. Expensive alarm systems are commonplace, and school children are accompanied daily on their journey to and from school. Manson and his “family” can take dubious credit for all of these societal adjustments. And maybe these adjustments to changing times were inevitable.

But what is not inevitable, and what is stunning and frightening, is that the Manson playbook is as alive and well in 2019 as it was in 1969. Exhibit ‘A’ is Keith Raniere, who was just found guilty by a jury for sex trafficking in New York. He is accused of luring young woman in to his Nxivm cult via techniques eerily similar to Manson’s. Using shaming methods employed by Manson fifty years ago, Raniere stripped young woman of their identities and possessions, even branding them to exert ultimate control over them.

Employing a twist on Manson’s playbook, Raniere used woman, including actress Allison Mack (best known for her role in ‘Smallville’), to recruit other young women in to the fold as his “slaves.” Raniere promised the new recruits “enlightenment” and “self-awareness,” if they would just do as he wanted.

Raniere does not stand accused of murder or intending to ignite a race war; his interests seem to have been limited to constructing a modern-day harem and to extracting money from his victims. But his intent in using the Manson playbook is not the point. The point is he used it and, in 2019, it worked.

As a mother of a daughter, I find this shocking and frightening. In order to stop the Manson playbook from continuing to be used, we must first identify it and name it, and recognize that our daughters can be vulnerable to it. So, I say, in 2019, let’s make our own promise: we will keep a watchful eye out for fledgling Mansons or Ranieres, and we will not allow our daughters to fall victim to their false promises. After fifty years, it’s high time to retire the Manson playbook.

Welcome, Lis! What a great topic. I give you props for the deep dive into Manson's life. I don't think I could handle it. Dude just freaks me out. My husband has been fascinated by this case since he read Helter Skelter as a teen. I am absolutely turning him on to your book!

Great topic and your book sounds like the approach to a true crime book I prefer. While I don't really shy away from the gory details I don't need to have them repeated over and over, especially in a high profile case like this. I am more interested in learning what happened before, what may have been the motivator or how things changed afterwards.

LIS WIEHL: Hi Hallie...I was not able to interview any of the Manson family members directly. I was, however, able to interview people who have present day contact with varying members of the “family”. According to those sources, the family members are currently split in their feelings of loyalty to Manson, and they dismiss Helter Skelter as something made up by prosecutor Bugliosi solely to convict Manson of murder.

I can't look at pictures of most reptiles. At work, I've had to down load wound pictures, I finally admitted that I couldn't look at pictures any more, a nurse needed to take that over. Some descriptions I can handle, others get skipped, it was more than I can handle so probably the details that get to me. I don't know if I would enjoy true crime. I think I've seen too much crime on television.

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